I knew it was inevitable. I just didn't realize it'd be so soon.

Bought a '09 R3 with 19k miles for my son for his 16th birthday last October and after reading here I knew eventually there are a list of parts that will fail nearly everyone. He came in from school the other day and said his CEL was on. I hooked up to the code reader and, yep, P0420. Thankfully because the car is still under the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty I wasn't worried but, damn, I just never imagined that CatCon was gonna bite the big one THAT fast.

Anyway, took it to the dealer, let them pull the code and yep... order one new catalytic converter/pipe assembly. $2400.00 plus labor. Jeeze, Mazda has GOT to be feeling the pain of the enormous FAIL cost it is to be replacing $2400.00 parts under warranty on a 2 year old car. I suppose, in retrospect, they're probably glad they didn't build that many of them (relatively speaking).

No misfires, no hard starts, runs smooth as silk but considering it's eaten the cat already, we're going to be doing the BHR ignition upgrade as soon as the parts come in. That's ok though, I enjoy working on it with him teaching him some basic maintenance. The BHR coils were on the list anyway. We've done a K&N filter, oil and filter change, cabin air filter replacement and changed the fluids in the transmission and rear end. Love the car, expensive failures and all.

 

if you do the changes yourself make a folder with all your receipts and mileage info of when you do the work, just in case. you know how companies, especially dealers age, about honoring their warranty on some of the expensive parts.

 

You should find out the reason why the convertor failed, as it could indicate a different problem with the car that you currently aren't aware of.

If all the material in the convertor was blown clean out, your engine bight be running too hot.

If the material in the convertor was plugged up, your engine might be having an issue with the ignition system that hasn't been detected yet.

Having a cat fail in only 19k miles on an '09+ is odd, unless your kid is a track day star that you haven't mentioned yet.

BC.

 

Just a thought... oil from the K&N coats the MAF wires and leans out your engine - shortens the life on the cat.

Maybe one of the folks here more knowledgeable than I am could substantiate that possiblity.

 

Only if you're using like the entire can of oil like an idiot... if you apply it like the directions specify then no oil gets through the filter. I've had multiple intake systems that use K&N cones and panels and I've never had any of the filter oil wind up in the intake tube.

 

Just a thought.

 

Thanks for the ideas guys. (And, FYI... the kid's definitely no track day star...lol)

Unfortunately I never had an opportunity to speak to the tech that worked on the car to find out if the CatCon was melted, blown out, etc. I did ask the service writer WHY the cat failed, but I got the standard "I-dont-have-a-clue" ...Oh these parts just fail sometimes... answer.

I have scanned the car myself and it doesn't throw any other codes, the gas mileage is fine, hasn't burned any oil (more than normal), leaked any coolant, etc. Starts first twist of the key, idles smooth, pulls hard, etc... ya got me? Anyway, the only thing that came to mind was just go head with the ignition upgrade which I was gonna do anyway. BHR kit... coils, plugs, wires.